Unfamiliar Faces
by Buccaneers6
Summary: Gereald Robotnik Survives after Shadows death and continues project Shadow. What will Sonic think of these beings, and more importantly, Shadow?
1. Hedgehog on the Horizon

**I Don't Own Sonic. If I did this would be a game plot. That should be proof enough.**

1. Hedgehog on the Horizon

Sonic the Hedgehog was running through the Green Hill Zone. It was his favorite place to be, especially when he was alone. You could run, jump, go through loops, and any of the other things a hedgehog could do. He was running through a particularly large loop when all the sudden he had a fist in his face.

Knuckles the Echidna had his fist straight in Sonic's face when he yelled "Now, Tails!" Tails flew in on his tornado and shot 3 fairly large paintballs at him. They were direct hits. Sonic fell down to the ground with a look of not pain, but aggravation. Knuckles, for the first time in a long time, burst out laughing. "Knuckles said that you needed training to be aware at all times." Said an innocent Tails, although he was really trying to contain a laugh; which ultimately failed.

Sonic jumped up, red paint all over part of his face and all over his body. "Well, well, well, looks like you got me. How am I gonna get this stuff off of me?" He smiled to himself as he looked all over his body. I'm glad I have such awesome friends, he thought. "Oh, we saved the best part for last." Said Knuckles, who had a smirk on his face. "Crap" Sonic said, with a wide grin on his red painted mouth. "Hit it, Tails" Tails hopped in his tornado and hit a button. A jet of water shot out of the middle of the propeller and hit Sonic full blast. As they laughed hysterically, Knuckles fell to the ground with a hard thud.

Sonic stopped dead as he looked behind Knuckles. An orange hedgehog with the corresponding Chaos Emerald appeared behind him, looking down with regret in his eyes. He had black gloves and socks, red eyes and black shoes with a blue stripe. He had fur. He turned to Tails and said "Please leave. I don't want to hurt anybody, but I have a feeling your friend thinks otherwise." Tails bolted off. Sonic said "You say you don't want to hurt anyone, but look what you just did." The hedgehog nodded and explained. "He would have gotten involved. I don't want to fight you, but I do have one question."

The anger in Sonic's face was defiantly apparent. Sonic launched himself at his maximum speed with his fist raised. His fist was about to connect with the hedgehog's face when he said "Chaos Control" the hedgehog vanished, leaving Sonic the Hedgehog grinding in the dirt. The moment raced through his mind. He could use Chaos Control? Who the freak was this guy? The hedgehog appeared right next to him, except he was standing up. "I don't want to fight you, I'm just looking for a sha-"Just then, a black hedgehog with a white chaos emerald appeared out of nowhere.

Shadow the Hedgehog looked at this hedgehog. Hmph. Nothing he couldn't handle. "You're always fashionably late, aren't you? Oh yea, that wise guy was looking for you. He can use Chaos Control."Chaos Control? This should be interesting. Shadow replied "I know" and then used Chaos Control. He appeared right behind the hedgehog with a Desert Eagle 50. Caliber Pistol, fully loaded. "Would you be kind enough to tell us your name, hedgehog? We're all dying to know."


	2. Project Shadow

**I don't own Sonic, Sega or the Iblis Trigger.**

2. Project Shadow

Sonic looked curiously to how the hedgehog would react. It all happened in about a second. One moment, Shadow was in complete control, the gun pointed at the back of the hedgehog's head. The next, this hedgehog had the weapon, the gun barrel pointed at the nose of a cross-eyed Shadow. "The name is Laoch" The hedgehog said. He looked closely at the gun he was holding. "A coward's tool." He dropped the gun and proceeded to punch Shadow straight in the face.

"I just don't see how you can use Chaos Control" said Laoch. Shadow looked upon him. He shouldn't underestimate this hedgehog, he thought. "Why is that?" said Shadow, disdain evident in his voice. "According to the ancient prayer of the guardians, chaos is power enriched by the heart. You obviously have none." He laughed at his own wit. Shadow turned bright red, his eyes not showing disdain, but a lot of anger. "YOUR RIGHT ABOUT THAT!" Shadow said, his voice echoing as he turned an even brighter shade of red. "YOU'LL REMEMBER THAT IN THE UNDERWORLD!" He crossed his arms. "No, Shadow!" shouted Sonic, putting his hand on his face to shade himself from the light. "CHAOS BLAST!"

The blast could be heard 5 miles away. It could be seen from ten. It absolutely destroyed everything it crossed, leaving a barren landscape. Smoke still filled the land. Shadow smiled, but it quickly turned into a wide eyed stare. Sonic repeated the expression. Laoch wasn't dead; far from it. He was standing with his emerald; it was his turn to look disdainful. "Who are you!' said Shadow. "I" exclaimed Laoch, "Am the ultimate life- form".

He's dead, Sonic thought. Blasted in a million pieces, ripped limb from limb. Shadow said "Chaos Control" and then it happened. Laoch's smile turned into a frown as Shadow appeared right behind him and kicked him upward. As he soared in the air, shadow once again appeared and demonstrated a few moves that Sonic couldn't quite explain. Before he knew it, Laoch was in the dirt, an extremely gory eye and a few other bloodied areas. He was unconscious.

When Laoch awoke, a rabbit with a chao, he thought it was called , had a packet over his left eye. His dominant eye. He jumped up but immediately regreted it; he held his eye, but realized it was the size of a baseball. "Calm down Mr. Laoch, I had that packet on because it reduced the swelling. Put it back on." He examined the girl. She had to be about 8. "How do you know anything about medical treatment?" he asked, considering that she was just a kid. "Cheese gets sick all the time." "Whatever. Where is the one you call Shadow?" he was getting impatient. He could barely see. When he tried to take a step forward, he could barely walk. "I'm Cream, by the way, and Shadow and Sonic are watching a movie."

Sonic and Shadow were watching a horror movie. Sonic was cringing in his chair. "Wimp. You think that something is gonna burst through the wall?" Laoch then burst straight through the wall, his eye throbbing and his body cut and hurt. "YOU" he said, with anger in his voice, "Aren't that bad."


	3. An Explanation

**I don't own Sonic or Sega, but I do own this plot.**

3. An Explanation.

He smiled and turned to Sonic. "I need your help." He managed to say. "Your hurt." Sonic said, concern in his voice. He cared about people. "I'll go back to the rabbit as long as you answer my questions. In turn, I'll tell you all about me and who I a-" his voice had gone out. He slammed his fist on the table. Shadow said "Chaos Control" and he regained his voice. "How long have I been out?" he asked. He needed to know. "A month" said Shadow. Laoch's face silently screamed in anger. Turn on the news, NOW" he screamed. He passed out from using to much energy. Sonic quickly changed the channel. He hadn't seen the news in months. "The dangerous explosions have destroyed yet another town, and it continues to advance towards Westopolis." Sonic stood wide-eyed.

"Shadow! He's awake!" exclaimed Sonic. Laoch woke up with a start, looking around the place. "His eye looks better. Now it's the size of a golf ball." Shadow said. "You… just made a JOKE?" Sonic burst out laughing. "Shut up!" said Shadow, but the damage had already been done. "Don't be surprised Sonic, I'm sure he has a whole arsenal of jokes he tells to the evil voices in his head."Laoch said. Sonic laughed even harder. "When you're done, we want answers from you." He pointed his finger at Laoch.

"After your dive from the ARK, Gerald Robotnik created the Ultimate life-form 2.0. He wanted a new creature. He named me Laoch, and he put me through various training exercises. He once again used the small reserve of Black Doom's DNA and created me. He also never told me why I turned out orange either. The only trace of ol' Doom I got in me is my eyes. Red. Unbeknownst to me("What?") Another was created. An Echidna, capable of destroying cities and towns. He is the cause of this explosion, and it is why we should work together.

"Shadow, we need to help him!" Sonic explained. He never let a friend down, even if he was new. "This is none of our concern, Sonic. Let him be." "No Shadow! This freak mutation dude is destroying cities we got to-"'No!" Laoch objected. "If you don't wanna help, then I came all this way for nothing. I'll do it myself. Thanks for the souvenir, Shadow." And with that he was off.

As soon as Laoch entered Westopolis, he was surrounded by 200 G.U.N soldiers. The commander of G.U.N himself got out of his car and laid his eyes on Laoch. "Hello, Hedgehog." It was brief and impatient. "The pleasure is all mine." Laoch said, with his world famous annoying, irritating, make-you-wanna-strangle-this-guy smirk. "You do realize that your capture is rewarded with 2.6 million dollars, don't you?" The guns were still pointed at him at every limb possible. "A hefty price. I coulda sworn the wanted posters posted everywhere a wanted poster could possibly be posted said I was runnin at 1.6." Again, that smirk. "I gotta get going. I'd love to stay and autograph my wanted posters, but I have business to attend to. Chaos Control." With that he was gone. However, unknown to him, Rouge the Bat was watching from a skyscraper.


	4. The Echidna

**I don't own talking blue hedgehogs named Sonic nor his respective creators.**

4. The Echidna

He didn't have a name. He was so consumed with power and destruction, he never thought about it. Names aren't important. Destruction, power, corruption. THAT was important. You didn't need to know his name, because when your vision tunneled and the last thing you ever saw was the black sky, the last thing you ever felt was the cold and unforgiving wind, you didn't think about names. "The Echidna" was in the air, looking at Westopolis. It was nice, he thought. But it wasn't beautiful. It would be beautiful when it was engulfed in flames, the citizens running for their worthless lives. He smiled. Soon. For now, we wait. Then, a foot stuck him in the back of the head.

Laoch had kicked him in the back of the head as hard as he could. He stumbled. Stumbled. He turned around. The Echidna was a light green, his sclera was bright yellow and his eyes were a crude purple. He looked angry. VERY Angry. "I thought you would bring some friends with you, but your golf ball sized eye tells me you were rejected. Prepare to die a lonely death, Hedgehog, because it lies in your future." "Sure about that?" said a familiar voice, which to Laoch might as well have been god himself. Sonic the Hedgehog landed a hard kick to the skull of the Echidna and sped right after him.

Laoch looked up like a dog that won a lifetime of Frisbees. "Thanks." He said softly and sped off after the hedgehog. Sonic was getting pounded and pounded and pounded. The Echidna was absolutely dominating. Laoch tried to step in but to no avail, as the Echidna was moping the city floor with them. And he liked it. He was laughing while he kneed Sonic and elbowed Laoch. Laoch was barely conscious, while sonic was hanging on a thread as well. The Echidna's joy was short lived, as his menacing eyes widened and his laughing jaws droped. Before them stood another familiar hedgehog; chaos emerald in hand. "If I bail you guys out one more time, you're going to have to pay me." Shadow the Hedgehog stood in the air, fire in his eyes.

"Who the heck are you?" said the Echidna. He was getting annoyed by the hedgehog parade. "The ultimate life-form, Shadow the Hedgehog. Yours?" The Echidna smiled. But he was obviously happy. When he smiled, it was like saying he was gonna eat your soul. "It won't matter when you're dead." He said, and launched himself at the hedgehog. "Chaos Control." Shadow reappeared right behind him and kicked him. He repeated the sequence over and over. The Echidna fought back a few times, but was no match for Shadow. "Alright. We can finish this some other time. For now, say goodbye to Westopolis!" one moment, Westopolis was glowing with light, radiance and joy. The next, it was in shambles and ruins, drained of life.


	5. Jailhedgehog

**I don't own Sonic, but this disclaimer is MINE**

5. Jailhedgehog

Laoch stood helpless upon the ground. He was horrified. How could somebody do that? How? He was suddenly surrounded by flames. Screams and explosions too, but he couldn't hear those. He couldn't believe what had just transpired. This happened to other cit- he couldn't think another thought before a tranquilizer dart slammed into his head and he blacked out. Rouge the Bat looked upon his unconscious body, triumphant.

Laoch woke up. He felt his eye and the whole thing had gone down. He felt normal again. He felt like he could beat the living crap outta somebody. If he wasn't in jail he woulda felt great. Outside the jail cell was Rouge the Bat. "Your awake." She had given him up to G.U.N about 3 hours ago. "Well, well, well. If it isn't our treasure hunter, Rouge." Rouge immediately went wide eyed. "How do you know my name? More importantly, how do you know what I do?" Laoch put on that smirk. "When you're wanted for 2.6 million dollars sweetheart, ya gotta know who your bounty and treasure hunters are." Rouge showed immediate relief. True. "Tell me, have you seen Shadow in a while? He's gonna be angry you captured his brother." The relief instantly flooded away.

Knuckles, Tails, Sonic and Shadow were gathered around a table. "We just need to know who captured him, and why." Tails said. "Rouge." Knuckles and Shadow both said it at the same time. "Makes sense, but wh-"Sonic caught himself. He remembered seeing the posters all around Westopolis. 2.6 million dollars. He would be surprised if Rouge wasn't in on the hunt. "He's gotta be in jail by now." Sonic didn't know how G.U.N treated prisoners. "Alright." Said Tails, a smirk that highly resembled Laoch's spread across his face. "Here's what we do."

"Brother?" He's lying, Rouge thought. It's gotta be a ruse. "I'm the ultimate life-form 2.0, made shortly after Shadow's 'death'. You'd figure that an expert treasure hunter would have a background on her target." Rouge was getting mad. "And you'd think a cocky, arrogant weasel would know how to get outta jail." Laoch pretended to look offended. "Weasel? That's uncalled for, especially from someone who probably gets called that every single day." Rouge snapped. "IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE THESE METAL BARS SURROUNDING YOU I WOULD COME IN THERE AND I WOULD-" She was interrupted by the G.U.N Commander. "Having fun?" Laoch looked amused. "I don't know about some other people, but I'm having a jolly good time."

Sonic was standing over a fallen G.U.N solider. Prison Island hadn't changed a bit, he thought. "Tails? He's out cold. I'm heading for the main cells. Did you locate him yet?" Tails looked worried. "Sonic, turn back! G.U.N doesn't want anyone to know they got this guy and they're keeping him in a secret location in the south offices." Sonic smiled. "Knuckles." He said. "Target located. Bring Shadow to the south offices and meet me by the front door."


	6. A Strange Discovery

**I don't claim ownership of Sonic.**

6. A Strange Discovery

The Commander of G.U.N didn't like backtalk. "You listen to me you hedg- GET THAT SMIRK OFF YOUR FACE! Hedgehog, I know you're the one causing these attacks, and we finally caught you." He seemed satisfied. Mistake. "Look at your eyes, commander." He still had that smirk on his face. "They're two different colors." He seemed to have struck a nerve. "I saw a dog that looked like that once. He was a lot like you, actually." Even Rouge giggled. "Shut up! Rouge, here is your money, I'm getting out of here." The Commander stormed off. "Your not really the one causing these attacks, are you. "Rouge said. Laoch smirked. "That would be the Echidna."

Sonic, thanks to Tails help, had broken into the south offices and was contacting Tails now. "Where is he?" He was walking through the office corridors where nobody was. "Walk forward for another 40 feet, than turn left. He's through that wall." Sonic made it to the spot and got his walkie talkie. "Time to flex your muscles and get on down here." Knuckles came through the same set of corridors Sonic had used. "Where's Shadow?" "Right behind you." Shadow said. "Good. Do your thing, Knuckles."

Laoch was laying down when he heard Knuckles burst through the wall. "Well Rouge." He said with that vintage smirk, "I'd better get going." Shadow warped the bars using Chaos Control, and Laoch jumped out. "Race you to the door." Laoch said, and they were off.

The G.U.N Commander burst through the door and exploded. "WHERE ARE THEY! ROUGE, GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK!" He looked around. Rouge was gone.

"Did you SEE the commander's face!" Sonic, Knuckles and Tails burst out laughing. Shadow, not so much. "We still need to find the Echidna." Said Shadow. "Well stop looking." Said a familiar, chilly voice. Laoch turned around and held out his hand. In it appeared what looked to be a sword. He started attacking the Echidna immediately.

"That's strange." Knuckles thought aloud. "What is it?" said Sonic. "That sword he's wielding is made entirely of chaos energy." "So?" Laoch used chaos powers all the time. "Negative chaos energy."


	7. The Echidna, Part II

**I don't own Sonic for the 7th time.**

I just want to take the time to say thanks to everyone who follows the story. I love feedback and I improve everyday. This is the new and improved me. Behold...

7. The Echidna, Part II

"A Sword?" Sonic wondered aloud. If this really was an ultimate life-form, then why was he wielding a sword? A better question was, why it was made out of negative chaos energy. He looked to Shadow for an answer, but Shadow just shrugged in return. He's watching closely, Sonic thought. If he is his brother, I'm sure Shadow has high expectations. The Echidna was handling the situation well.

Knuckles was also watching closely. Negative chaos energy was extremely hard to control; Laoch seemed to be handling it's power well. As the guardian of Angel Island, he had to worry about chaos energy. But he was also worried about this Echidna. Hardly, He thought. This beast was mocking his history, using the chaos energy for evil. It made him boil up inside. He may have been in a good mood on the day of the prank, but if anybody mocked his heritage as a guardian, with words or action, he wasn't happy. He rushed into the field of battle.

Laoch had his sword at the ready again; it wasn't going to last much longer with the damage it was taking. Knuckles joined in the fight, but it seemed as the Echidna had it covered. He got stronger; A LOT stronger. He turned look at Shadow, but was met with a cold stare. "Watch this" he mouthed, and jumped high in the air. The sword was no longer a sword; it was an extension of his arm, and he could feel it. He smiled. His ultimate life-form brother looked up in curiosity.

What was this guy doing? The Echidna thought. Form the first year he met that hedgehog, he knew he was arrogant, annoying, and was tricker than a fox (certain ones, anyway) as the hedgehog's descent began, he tried to watch closely. Except he couldn't. The hedgehog was going at so fast it was too hard to keep his eye on him. That didn't matter, though. He laughed and said "Chaos Control" Time itself froze, and he carried out several attack moves before he snapped his fingers. The hedgehog flew out of the sky.

Knuckles was shocked. This was the first time he'd seen such power. He had been beaten over and over again. "I must go, my friends, but before I do, a little souvenir." He rushed over to Sonic and punched him straight in the gut.

"Answers, now." Knuckles was tired of the 'mystery' act. "Cut the crap, hedgehog, and tell us everything." Laoch smirked. "The sword? The professor had an old one lying around that he wanted to study, so I picked it up one day. I've been trained with it forever. I may be lethal" Shadow rolled his eyes. "Put a sword in my hand and I'm deadly." "Aren't those syn-" Tails begun to say, but Knuckles cut him off. "The Echidna?" Laoch's smirk faded. "We've been at it for a couple years now." "How long?" Knuckles wanted to know everything. "Meh, 25 years." The whole entire group(exclude Shadow) went wide eyed. "Now, the negative chaos energy." that was a question everyone wanted to know. Laoch closed his eyes and sighed. "I guess I gotta tell you. I hate every single bit of it, and I'm ashamed of myself. I'm afraid I will end up just like the Echidna." Everyone went silent. "I can only absorb the negative power of the chaos emeralds."


	8. An Exchange of Souls

**I DON'T OWN SEGA OR SONIC NOR WILL I EVER!**

8. An Exchange of Souls

"Laoch…" Sonic began to say, but he cut him off. "I.. I just wanna be left alone." He left. How hard, Sonic thought, must it be to live with the fact that you would one day turn to darkness, be consumed by the power. He was a good person, Sonic thought. Why did fate have to do this to people? Why did it have to be so cruel? Even Shadow can't, or didn't, absorb the negative power of the chaos emeralds. What would happen if he got all 7? I bet he didn't want to, because he'd probably turn into a cruel monster. "OH MY GOD!" Sonic suddenly burst out. "What?" everybody said at once, eager to know what Sonic was so hyped up about. "We completely forgot about Eggman!"

Dr. Ivo Robotnik, wildly known as Dr. Eggman, was looking upon the ocean. He had built a base on the water so Sonic couldn't beat him this time. He was prepare to destroy Angel Island with is 'Egg Cannon.' He laughed triumphantly. It was under construction this whole time and those rodents hadn't even noticed! It was almost ready to fire, and if they did decide to make a late entry, then he would blast them to smithereens! He was in the middle of his laughing when Sonic and his friends showed up.

"It's over, Eggmaaaaan!" Sonic noticed that his base was lying on the water. "That's right you hedgehog! You can't catch me now!" Sonic couldn't believe that Eggman had finally been smart enough to exploit his weakness. Took him a little while, didn't it? "I can't swim." Said Sonic, a Laoch smirk on his face. "But Tails, Knuckles and Shadow can." Eggman's smile faded. "Get him for me, guys." With that, they were off.

They charged the 'Egg Cannon' and started on the attack. The machine was well built and it was holding against all the attacks that were welly executed. They were doing very well, Sonic thought, but without him their attacks were useless. He wanted to do something, but that water… He just didn't want to take the risk. But deep down, he did. He wanted to save the world, and defeat Eggman too. "Guys!" Sonic said. "Homing attack!" They all charged up alongside Sonic.

They Charged up simultaneously, and then, in perfect unison, launched themselves at the 'Egg Cannon'. Doctor Eggman gaped as the team tore through his creation. Thanks for the adventure, Sonic thought, as he plunged in the water and fell unconscious moments later.

When Sonic awoke, he was on the shore of the beach. Laying next to him, eyes closed, was Laoch. Shadow was attempting to get the water out of his lungs, but it wasn't working, as he just lay there. "Laoch." Sonic said, attempting to rouse him. "LAOCH!" he screamed shaking him over and over to no avail. Laoch was dead, he thought. And it was all his fault.


	9. Taking Action

**I don't own Sonic or Sega**

9. Taking Action

"With Loach gone, the Echidna is going to beat us all." Shadow stated. Sonic was still beside himself with grief, and refused to help in the fight. "I won't kill anybody else." "Sonic, what happened to you? Where's that free spirit Sonic, huh?" Sonic still refused. Shadow sighed. "Well, if you're in, you're in. I'm gonna whip those dreadlocks right off that guy's head." Shadow left. "I'm in too. This guy is too dangerous." Knuckles said, and he glided off into the distance. "Sonic, I'm in too." Tails said. Sonic looked down in grief. "But I'm not helping if you don't." Sonic looked up. Seeing Tails so determined got him. "I'm in too, but this better be good." On Angel Island, a disturbance pulsed through the ground.


	10. Revelations

**I Don't Freaking own Sega or Sonic!**

10. Revelations.

They found the Echidna about to blow up another city. He turned around. He noticed immediately. "Where's Laoch?" "Dead." Said Shadow. The Echidna smiled. "Sorry I couldn't do the job myself, but I hope you know you'll be joining them soon." The Echidna waited for a response. It came from Shadow. "You're not getting away with destroying another city… faker." He smiled at those words, while the Echidna put on a frown. "Faker? We can see about that, hedgehog." The Echidna immediately went on the attack.

Shadow was having a lot more trouble this time than the last time. Does he get stronger every time we meet? Shadow thought. He was going to have to bring out all of his arsenal. "Sonic!" Said Shadow. "Homing attack!" They both charged up and launched themselves at the Echidna. They connected and soEchidna blocked it with his hand. Sonic gaped in amazement, while Shadow kept launching his entire arsenal at the Echidna.

"Sonic? You really should know this." Said Tails, looking down on his screen inside the Tornado. "What, Tails? What could be so important at this time?" Tails looked worried. "When I scanned the Echidna, I noticed something important." "Well get on with it!" Said an annoyed Sonic. "Well, Professor Gerald put a gene inside him. Every time he fights, his powers mature and he becomes stronger. The only way to kill him would need an insane amount of power that is greater than his, which goes up every time we see him." Sonic stood, his mouth wide open. "When you pick up your jaw I could really get some help over here!" Shouted Shadow.

Shadow was throwing chaos lances left and right; but the Echidna was blocking them all. Shadow was about to unleash a chaos blast, but then remembered what happened when Laoch and him had first met. The chaos emeralds would help right now, Shadow thought. The Echidna was now focused on Sonic, who was bleeding in his mouth and on his legs. "So, hedgehog, it looks like you got a little beat up. Sonic responded by spitting blood in his face. The enraged Echidna punched Sonic to the ground. "-Control!" A familiar hedgehog, with all 7 chaos emeralds, appeared right in front of Sonic. "Who." Said the familiar voice, "Decided to bury me 4 feet underground?"


	11. The Transformation

**The only people I own here are Laoch and The Echidna(Charecter) Sega owns everything else.**

11. The Transformation

"I-I thought you were dead!" Exclaimed Sonic. Laoch Smiled. "So did I." and the chaos emeralds circled around him. "What? STOP LAOCH!" "I have to. Listen, as soon as he runs away or I defeat him, beat the living crap outta me until I lose my transformation." He smiled. "I know you can." And then, a shockwave burst throughout the town as Laoch transformed. His whole body was surrounded by a black aura. He had jet black skin and his quills pointed upward. His sclera was completely red and he didn't have any pupils. The Echidna smiled. "Ahhh, the first time anyone has ever seen this." Laoch said nothing. He teleported behind the Echidna and kicked him hard in the back.

The Echidna flew in the air and Laoch teleported again and kicked him in the face. Suddenly, time froze and Laoch hit him with a combination of kicks and punches and snapped his fingers. The Echidna went flying in the air and got smashed into the ground from a teleporting Laoch. Laoch went to him and threw a barrage of punches and kicks, and on the final kick you could hear the Echidna's ribs break. "This… isn't over. Chaos Control." The Echidna left, and Laoch turned to Sonic and Shadow.

"You're freaking kidding me. That coward…" He looked over to Shadow and nodded. They took in the positive power of the chaos emeralds and transformed into Super Sonic and Super Shadow. "Shadow, you were a good friend." "Sonic, I've always hated you." And with those words, they charged into battle.

Laoch was kicking and punching in every direction. Sonic and Shadow were actually holding up very well. Shadow threw a few chaos spears/lances, which did nothing, but it gave Sonic time to do his homing attack a few times consecutively, which put on a little damage. Shadow then used chaos control to slow down time, and got in a few attacks before snapping his fingers. It sent Laoch flying in the air, but he retaliated. After a while, Shadow had enough. "Kick him towards me! Sonic did as told. "CHAOS…" he was glowing bright red. He flipped of his inhibitor rings and when Laoch was an inch from his nose he said "BLAST!" Shadow destroyed the entire city with the force of the blast. Sonic, somehow, had managed to withstand the blast, but was out of his super form. The last thing Shadow saw before he blacked out was an unconscious, regular, Laoch.


	12. A 4000 Year Old Friend

**I don't own Sega or Sonic charecters featured in this extremely long chapter.**

12. An (4000 year) old Friend

Laoch woke up once again in the care of Cream the Rabbit. "You guys did it." He said with a smile. Shadow was also unconscious and Sonic was lying in bed. "With a price." Sonic retaliated. Shadow had just awoken. "We need to get going and track him" They said goodbye to Cream and headed out the door.

"Where do you think he could be?" Laoch asked as they were walking along a desert. "Hey!" said a familiar voice to Knuckles, Tails, Shadow and Sonic but not to Laoch. Shade the Echidna walked up to them, her helmet tucked in her arm. "I was gathering info on the whereabouts of th-" she stopped in mid-sentence. "Why is he staring at me?" She said with an eyebrow raised. They all looked and sure enough, Laoch was staring at her, his mouth slightly opened. He shook his head and said " Yeah, we were looking for him to. What did you find out?" "He flew to the east after he destroyed that town." She said slowly, a look of confusion on her face. "And I thought I would join you guys, but maybe it wasn't a good-" Sonic made the save. "Nah, it's alright, come on, the more help we can get, the better!" still with that look of confusion on her face, she slowly nodded. "Alright, but-" "Let's go everybody!" Shouted Shadow at once and Shade, Knuckles and Tails followed him across the desert. Sonic was about to take off but turned around, mouthed "Good Luck." And sped off. An Enraged Laoch ran after him.

"They got half way across when they came across the ever so famous Nack the Weasel, otherwise known as Fang the Sniper. "What a surprise!" He said. "My unpleasure." He gave his smirk. Laoch is back, Sonic thought. Nack used his tail to jump really high. Without thinking, Laoch used a homing attack on Shade, propelling him at the same height as Nack. "OW!" She said, snarling at Laoch. Everybody(except Shadow, because he never did) burst out laughing. Once Laoch was equal in height to Nack, he used his homing attack and hit him three times. When they fell back down, Nack pulled out his gun and shot at Laoch. His smile quickly turned to a frown a Laoch held the bullet in his hand. "Where would I be without Chaos Control? Speaking of which." He said, and he appeared right behind Nack, and kicked him in the back, sending him flying into a vicious kick by Shade, knocking him unconscious. Shade then walked up to Laoch and hammered him in the face.

Laoch had a broken nose and couldn't help laughing with the crowd. "Payback." She said and headed east. "You, my friend, just got punched by the wrong Echidna." Said Sonic, and the laughing continued. "Alright, we should follow her." Laoch wrapped his nose in a bandage and continued on. As soon as Shade saw it, she immediately spoke up. "Did I break your nose? I'm real sorry." She said, with honesty in her voice. Laoch nodded and said "No prob. As long as you do that same thing To the Echidna, we won't have to lay a finger on him." Everybody(again, except Shadow) burst out laughing. Shade looked embarrassed. "We should keep going east. Either we find him, or, more likely, he finds us." Said Knuckles. The group nodded in agreement. With that, they sped off.

"I'm tracing massive amounts of power to lethal highway." Said Tails. "Good times. Why did they call it that anyway?" Shadow, the one who Sonic had blown up a black arms tank on lethal highway with, shrugged. "Don't know. We should head down there. How far, Tails?" Tails punched in some calculation routes and said "A day. It isn't that far from where we are now." They nodded and continued. Night came and they set up camp. As Laoch was meditating in his tent, Shade walked through the flap. "Sup, Shade?" He said, breaking his meditation. "Listen, I'm really sorry for what happened today." She said, fighting back embarrassment. "NO, it was rightfully done. I shouldn't have used you as a spring." Both of them started laughing. "Well, I, er, um, better, uh, go then." She said, and left the tent. They were both blushing.


	13. Casino Night

**The only things I own here are Laoch, The Echidna, and the plot. Everything else is Sonic and Sega's.**

13. Casino Night

They arrived at lethal highway at around noon. What was left of it, anyway. It was completely destroyed. "The Echidna strikes again, huh?" said Laoch. Shadow gave hmph and Sonic looked closely. "So, he just does this to places and then leaves? This guy has gotta be the most efficient villan ever." Shade said. Just then, a giant egg robot appeared and was aiming at the group. "Laoch, stay outta this. Go with Tails and see if you can track down the Echidna again. That nose needs healing. "Said Sonic. "My nose? Come on!" he turned to Shade, who gave an 'I'm sorry' look. "Fine. Let's go, Tails." Sonic then looked up at the giant Egg Robot. "Alright, then. Uhh, can I go first?" the group shrugged so Sonic leapt in the air and di his famous homing attack in rapid succession. The robot staggered a little bit, before firing it's lasers at Sonic and the group, which dodged them. "My turn." Proclaimed Shade. She used her teleportation belt to appear from behind and used her leech blades, slightly damaging the robot even more and draining it of power. "Watch this!" Exclaimed Knuckles as he drove himself deep in the ground. The robot looked around, confused. Knuckles burst out if the ground and nailed him with an uppercut, and the robot staggered and fell down. When he got back up, Shadow said. "Chaos Lance!" The attack landed in rapid succession and the robot exploded. "Why does every robot have to explode when you defeat it?" said Sonic in an almost annoyed tone.

Laoch appeared in a flash along with Tails. "I was thinking, couldn't we have just used Chaos Control to teleport here?" Sonic gave Shadow an icy glare, and Shadow gave a rare smile in return. "Did you find the whereabouts of the Echidna?" Shade asked. "Actually, we did. It was almost as satisfying as destroying a giant robot." Shade and Shadow rolled their eyes while the rest of the group started laughing. "Hey, your bandage is falling apart." Sonic pointed out. Laoch replaced it and continued. "He's near Casino Night. That place is awesome, there's no way I'm gonna let him destroy it." "Oh no, my precious slot machines!" Sonic said, mimicking Laoch's voice very well. Everybody, burst out laughing, even a grin from Shadow. "All jokes aside, we should get going. We wouldn't want to be late." Laoch was about to run off but remembered. He turned to Shadow and they both Nodded. "Chaos Control!" they said simultaneously, and they disappeared.

They appeared at Casino Night, completely intact but a note laying on the ground. Laoch picked it up and read: Late again? It's no fun without any opposition. Be on time or I'll take…action myself. Yours truly, the Echidna. "Ooohh, he finally progressed to evil note making. I'm so proud of him." Said Laoch sarcastically. "We should probably go. If we use chaos control, he may be able to sense the energy. We're gonna have to move on foot." Explained Shadow. "Alright, then. I don't see anybody here. Ya think we could take the best room they got?" "AWESOME! Let's go!" said Sonic enthusiastically. They took the elevator, went to the top floor and settled in.

Laoch was staring out the window when Shade was walking down the hall. She looked inside and walked up to him. "What's going on?" She Asked. "So many places… destroyed. Utterly destroyed. Westopolis, Lethal Highway, and countless others. Think about people that died or lost somebody and all those accedents. I never really thought about it before, but the Echidna is a monster. A cruel, evil animal, who destroys cities for fun. He goes around rampaging and he gets stronger each time he does! What does he want? You can't dominate a destroyed world! You can't gain riches and fame on a barren planet! For fun! For freaking fun! And if we can't stop him soon…" a tear shed from his eye. "All the people. Animals. Plants. Gone. J-Just leave me alone." He sighed. Shade looked concerned and tried to say something, but nothing came up. She slowly walked out. Sonic, Knuckles and Tails were playing cards while Shadow was napping. "Gin!" shouted Sonic, raising his fist in the air triumphantly. "We're playing texas hold'em." Said Tails and Knuckles at the same time. "Oh. Then I lost. Badly." Said a disappointed Sonic. "Laoch is feeling a little down." Said Shade. "Does anybody know how to cheer him up?" Sonic went to his room and said "We're playing hold'em, at least I think. You wanna join?" Laoch turned around and smirked. "Absolutely."


	14. The Search Begins

**I don't own Sonic Or Sega.**

14. The Search Begins

"Royal freaking flush!" Shouted Laoch. The rest of the group groaned. "NOW I know why he likes this place so much." Groaned Sonic. Shadow was actually laughing. "Hey, at least you cheered him up a little bit." "WE BETTER HAVE! I JUST LOST ALL OF MY RINGS!" shouted an enraged Sonic. Shade looked amused. "1000 rings! Does any-" "NO!" shouted the entire group. "Man, me and my best friend Ryko used to play cards all the time. He's just as good as I am." "Ryko?" asked Sonic. "Another story for another time." Said Laoch, smirking. "Anyway, we'd better get going." "How?" asked Knuckles. "If we go down they'll find out we stayed up here without paying." Laoch smirked again. "We jump." "That's ridiculous." Said Shade. "We're 30 stor-" She got no further. Laoch grabbed her hand and burst through the window, shattering the glass and plummeting down below. Sonic shrugged and jumped out and the rest of the group followed. As Laoch and Shade were plummeting, when they were about 20 feet from the ground Laoch used Chaos Control to slow their fall. When they landed, Shade socked Laoch right in the nose again, causing a large amount of pain.

Shade covered her mouth wide eyed as soon as she did it. "Oh my god! I forgot, I-" Laoch was grunting in pain. When he finally managed to get up, his nose was bent to the left. "Laoch, listen to me." Shadow said. "This is gonna hurt. A lot." Laoch was about to question him when he grabbed his nose and yanked it back in place, causing Laoch to scream in pain. Shade just stood there gaping, her eyes wide. Shadow then blasted him with his signature spinning kick, knocking him out cold. "What the heck was that for?" asked Sonic. "1, I was getting annoyed by his grunting in pain. 2, It will completely stop the pain for as long as he's out, enough time for us to put something on him." Sonic nodded and then turned to Shade. "Why did you-" "I-I just wasn't thinking, and I-I, oh god!" she said, and sat down with a look that showed embarrassment and concern. "Alright. What did Cream give us in that first aid kit?" Sonic asked. He dug through and finally found a cast material which he used to make a cast for his nose. Sonic slung him over his shoulder and they headed for the Echidna.


	15. Suprise Plot Twist

**I don't own Sonic nor Sega.**

15. Suprise Plot Twist

"I look like freaking Pinocchio!" said a highly irritated Laoch. Shade kept trying to say she was sorry, but Laoch was still irritated. When they reached the supposed spot of the Echidna, they all looked around. He was nowhere to be found. "He says we're late and then he-"He was cut off by a scream that obviously belonged to Shade. Laoch whipped around to see the Echidna holding an unconscious Shade by the scruff of the neck. "Let her go!" shouted Laoch, anger swelling up inside of him. "You're gonna fight me, one way or another!" shouted the Echidna. "And this time, it may cost her her life. Meet me at the abandoned egg base near Station Square. Give yourself over to me and she will be spared." Laoch was fuming. He turned a bright red all over his body. "Oh, crap." Said Sonic, a worried look on his face. "CHAOS…" you could hear the power he held. "BLAST!" It flew out in all directions. When the smoke cleared, the Echidna was gone.

"Tails!" Shouted Laoch. Tails jumped up in surprise. "While we camp, put in the probability numbers of x amount of people attempting to break her out. I won't give myself up to that …thing! At the end of the night, tell me what we have and what we need." He walked off. When night came, Tails gave his results. "We have a team of 5, giving us a 50% chance of a rescue, according to my calculations. Get one more and we have a 70% chance of a rescue. One more would make the probability go down due to stealth related things. The person you get will need to be an expert in thief related things. Who do you plan on getting?" Asked a curious Tails. Laoch gave a smirk. "All will be revealed tomorrow. Let's get some sleep."

"Gimmie your phone, Tails." Tails tossed Laoch the phone and Laoch began to dial a number.

Ryko was sleeping when his phone rang. He started up and answered his phone. "WHAT!" He shouted into the phone, irritated. He got almost no time off and hated it when somebody interrupted his rare naps. "Did I wake you up? sor-" He didn't get time to finish. "Laoch! Long time no see, buddy! What's-" His voice instantly went gloomy. "What happened?" Since he was on work 24/7, Laoch only got to see him once a year and it was always because he needed some backup. Laoch filled him in on the whole situation. "So, you must really care about this girl, huh?" Laoch took a moment before answering. "Yea… I really do." Ryko smiled. "On my off day… well then, we need to get the girl in the locked tower away from the dragon! I'm coming on down, brother. Fill me in then." He gathered his weapons and sped off.

"Did he call you brother?" asked Tails. Laoch gave a genuine smile. "He pretty much is. We grew up together. We might as well be blood relatives but since he works all the time I never get to see him. He will be our sixth member." "What exactly is this 'work'?" asked a drowsy Sonic. Laoch smiled again. "I can't tell anybody, put you'll be able to guess when he arrives."


	16. Mission 70 Possible

**I don't own Sonic, Sega, or Mission Impossible. THAT would be cool, though.**

16. Mission 70% Possible, Part I

Laoch was waiting anxiously when Ryko arrived. They fiercely embraced. He was a hedgehog, and he didn't look too different from Laoch with his chest fur. He was a dark purple and his shoes were just like Shadow's but they didn't have rockets on them and they were all black. He had a Barrett 50. Caliber strapped to his back and various other guns around his waist. He had a faint scar running down his eye and various others around his body. "Fill me in on the plan, Pinocchio."

"Tails, you'll be waiting somewhere outside the base and be remaining on COM units the entire mission. Ryko, you'll stay with me, Sonic and Shadow. Pick the locks as we go. Knuckles, egg bots are gonna be swarming the place, so you'll clear them out. Ryko, I'm leaving her fate in your hands. I'll be the distraction so you can get her outta there. I can put my life in your hands so treat her the exact same way. Shadow and Sonic, you guys will serve as a CQC unit with me and Ryko. Are we all clear? " Ryko put a hand on Laoch's shoulder. "She obviously means so much to you. We'll get her outta there. Trust me."

They found the base in no time. Laoch had removed his cast before they left. He was looking at the building intently. Shade is in there, he thought. And who knows what that thing is doing to her. Ryko walked up and put his hand on Laoch's shoulder again. He nodded and entered the building. The group followed suit.

"Knux." Said Tails over the intercom. "There's a giant pile of grapes right behind you." Knuckles whipped around only to find nothing. "Gullible." Chuckled Tails. "What I really want you to do is take out all of the egg bots while the CQC team moves forward." A slightly irritated Knuckles moved on while the rest of the team went forward. Knuckles started to take out all of the robots in the area while the CQC team moved up to the front door. "Ryko, can you-" Ryko picked the lock before Tails finished the sentence. Sonic silently whistled and they continued onward. "Alrighty, Knux, it looks like there are twice as many on this floor. The CQC team will have to fight a little bit. Try to reduce it, would ya?" He nodded and they continued through the floor when suddenly the CQC team got jumped by some bots. Ryko took out two revolvers and cut down half of them, hitting them in the right spot each time. Sonic, Shadow and Laoch took out the rest. They moved on. "Sharpshooter, eh? I'm beginning to take a guess at who you work for and what it is you do." Ryko shrugged put couldn't help smile as he put his guns back into it their holsters. They moved on until they got to the door the Echidna had to be in. "Laoch." Said Ryko in a soft tone. "She'll be fine. Let's take out the grumpy troll under the bridge and get you the girl." Laoch smiled and burst through the door.


	17. 4 Hedgehogs, 3 Echidnas, 2 AK47s

**I don't own Sonic nor Sega**

17.4 Hedgehogs, 3 Echidna's, 2 AK47's and A Partridge in a Pair Tree

Sure enough, Shade was tied to a chair in the middle of the room, still unconscious. "Cut the crap, Echidna." Said Ryko. "We fell for your booby trap of death, now come out so we can kick your Butt!" He took out two AK-47s and held them up in the air. "Ryko? Unexpected, yet appreciated." Said the chilling voice all too familiar. "Alright, I'm here." Said Laoch. The Echidna came into view. "Come here." He did. "Kneel." He did. "You shall die a pitiful death, hedgehog!" He raised his fist, but not before Laoch raised his; into the Echidna's chin. He jumped with a start and began to attack the Echidna with a rapid combination of punches. The Echidna fought back, dealing hard punches of his own. Laoch then countered with a homing attack, which the Echidna blocked and followed up with 3 rapid energy blast, which Laoch dodged.

Ryko crept slowly up to the girl. Laoch was right to have a little 'thing' for her, he thought. He was about to take action when he saw something on her belt. He smiled and hit the button.

Laoch wasn't exactly winning, but he was holding his own. He held out his hand and out came his energy sword. He charged at the Echidna and took the extra reach to his advantage, getting some nice cuts. The Echidna was dodging the extra sword attacks when something hard struck him in the back of the head. He turned around to see Shadow and Sonic. They gave a flurry of moves themselves and soon the Echidna was getting pelted on all sides; by bullets. Ryko took out his SIG and started shooting rapidly. He then threw the gun down and started kicking and punching with the group.

"Enough!" said the Echidna. "I'm ending this stupid battle by-" he turned around only to find the ropes untied and Shade gone. "WHAT?" Shouted an enraged Echidna. Everybody had a confused look on their face except for Ryko, who was smiling. "This isn't over, rodents!" The day where I crush you and this world beneath my feet approaches. Chaos Control!" He vanished. "Where is she?" said a worried Laoch." Ryko put on a very Laoch smirk. "She's still here." Ryko walked over to the chair and hit an invisible button. Shade appeared. "I tried to pick her up, but I would be easily detected. I looked around and discovered she had a cloaking device on her belt. I undid the ropes tying her and abracadabra alakazam, the hot Echidna with the weird headband goes away."

"R-Ryko…" said Laoch, tears running down his eyes. "Now, now…" Said Ryko. They embraced and then picked up Shade. "Take us outta here, Shadow." Shadow used Chaos Control and they were gone.


	18. Goodbyes and Reunions

**I'm getting tired stating the fact that I don't own Shade, Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, Tails, and all the locations in this story.**

18. Goodbyes and Reunions

"R-Ryko…" said Laoch, tears running down his eyes. "Now, now…" Said Ryko. They embraced and then picked up Shade. "Take us outta here, Shadow." Shadow used Chaos Control and they were gone.

Shade awoke in the encampment. Where am I? She thought, looking around. Did the Echidna move her again? She stepped outside to see Laoch and some other dude playing cards.

Everybody was watching intently. This card game was so awesome that the group, who wasn't even playing, started putting bets on the winner. "Full house!" Said Laoch, looking triumphant. "A full house…" Ryko began. Laoch's smile flipped. "A full house full of five people is boring." Continued Ryko. Laoch already knew what was about to happen. "But a house of royals is far more interesting." He laid down his cards and laid back in his chair. A royal flush. Rings exchanged, including Laoch's when Shade walked out. "Laoch!" She said, running up to him and embracing him, tears in her eyes. "You went all that way and rescued me?" "Well, yeah. But I couldn't have done it without my… brother." Ryko smiled.

"Ryko…" Laoch was watching him pack up. "As much as it was awesome here, I gotta go. My employer just sent me two more contracts. Listen, Any other special occasion…" He cocked his head toward Shade. "Gimmie a ring on my phone and I'll be there." They hugged and Ryko sped off.

"Okay." Said Laoch, huddled around a campfire. "I would like to thank my AWESOME team for helping break out Shade." The group nodded. "Second, The Echidna has to be somewhere around here. We need to find him and we need to beat the living crap outta this dude. I'm tired of chasing him. I say we try to end him the next time we see him." The group nodded. "Okay, I think we're ready." They took off.

"He's going to Angel Island!" Said a wide-eyed Tails. Knuckles spit out all the grapes in his mouth. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?" He yelled. "Unfortunately, you heard me correctly. If he tapped into the master emerald's unlimited power…" "Uhh, that would Suck?" asked Laoch. "Oh Yea. He could make himself immortal, have unlimited Chaos power… If he took in all that energy at once, and put it into one blast.-" He got no further. Knuckles ran off."We should probably follow him." Sonic was about to go, but he turned to Laoch. "You're not Pinocchio anymore!" Laoch turned around, drew his arm back, and nailed him in the face. "But you are." He said, before speeding off to Angel Island.


	19. Angel Island

**I don't own Sonic, Sega or the Master Emerald.**

19. Angel Island

"Angel Island… I hear this place has a pretty awesome beach… although I don't get why it would be there especially since this place is suspended in air-" "SHUT UP!" Shouted an irritated Knuckles. "We have to run to the Master Emerald!" When the group arrived, the Echidna was already there. "Such a precious jewel…" Knuckles was enraged. "Never before, never again, I come in… peace." He cringed at the word. "Then what the freak do you want?" The Echidna smiled. "Power. Corruption. Destruction. Pain. Sorrow. All which can be achieved through this Master Emerald." He paused before continuing. "But all the same, it will bring an end quicker. Too quick. That wouldn't be fun, now would it?" He paused again. "I don't need this rock. I'm outta here." He was about to leave but paused. "Oh, and one more thing." He kicked the Emerald from its resting place so hard that it flew off the Island. He used Chaos Control to escape. Angel Island slowly fell, plummeting to the watery grave below.

"Crap!" said Knuckles. "It's happening!" "Why can't we-" Then he remembered. An Ocean lied down below, waiting to claim their lives. "Use Chaos Control!" Shouted Tails. "I can't concentrate like this!" Laoch shouted. Unbeknownst to the group, Shadow was slowly muttering. When the Island was a centimeter close to the water, Shadow did it. "Control!" They appeared at their previous encampment. "Great." Said Knuckles. "Angel Island plummets to its doom and, as an added bonus, I lose the Master Emerald." "Hey, Rouge." Said Laoch suddenly into his phone, a perfect imitation of Knuckles voice. "Yea, I lost the Master Emerald." Knuckles was absolutely fuming. "Yea, you wouldn't mind finding it for me, would you?" The group tried their absolute hardest not to burst out laughing. "Thank you so much, Rouge, I don't know where I'd be without you." He quickly hung up the phone so he could burst out laughing along with the group(except Shadow, of course).

"There ya go! Master Emerald problem solved!" The group had died down. "I didn't know you could do that!" Said Sonic. "You didn't?" Said Laoch in Sonic's voice. "What's so good about mimicking voices?" Asked Shadow. "Hmph. Fine." Said Laoch in Shadow's voice, and the whole group laughed(except Knuckles, because he was still angry, and Shadow, because he didn't care). "Okay, all jokes aside, we need to find that thing again." They nodded in agreement. They couldn't take one step forward when at least 300 G.U.N Soldiers surrounded him. The G.U.N Commander stepped into view. "Your under arrest for destroying multiple towns and cities, you-" He stopped as his phone rang. "Hello?" He said. His smile went to a frown. "You sure?" He went from frown to snarl. "Saved them? He destroyed-" He sighed. "Okay, pack it up. You're no longer warranted." He snarled. "Thanks, Ryko." Laoch muttered under his breath.

"He's at central city right now. We could be there by dawn." They all agreed and kept moving. When they reached camp Shade looked puzzled. "I'm getting radio frequencies from somewhere, but I can't tell where they're coming from." They shrugged it off and went to their tents. In the middle of the night, Laoch was hit with a few tranquilizer darts, had a bag put over his head, and he was hauled away.


	20. Enter Nocturnus

**I don't own Sonic, Sega, The Nocturnus Clan Or anything to do with Sonic.**

20. Enter Nocturnus

When Laoch awoke, he was tied to a chair and was surrounded by Nocturnus Soldiers. Thousands. "…Well. This is… unexpected." Laoch didn't have tape over his mouth. An Echidna came into view, most likely the leader. "Do you know why you're here?" "Can't say I do, my masked menace. Would you be kind enough to tell-" He cut himself off. "This has something to do with Shade, doesn't it?" The leader nodded. "She disgraces our name by joining filth such as you." Laoch smirked. "Well, Darth Echidna, I don't know what to say. The first time we met she ended up breaking my nose." He smiled at the memory. The leader was not at all amused. "She deserves much better, so we will kill you where you sit." Laoch smirked. "Try me. Chaos Control!"

Laoch appeared right next to the leader and started on the attack. He was swarmed by all the Nocturnus soldiers. He was piled on before some of them flew off. He had a sort of aura around him. He summoned his sword and charged them. He took one down, hit one with his elbow, one teleported before he could hit him, it seemed to go on forever. Finally, he felt something hard hit the back of his head and his faded to oblivion.

When he woke up, He was in a tent. Besides his head, he was covered completely by Nocturnus battle armor. He moved his hands and threw a few punches before walking outside. He walked out to see a worried look on Shade's face, talking to Sonic. She then turned to face him. "You IDIOT!" She screamed, running towards him. "Nice to see you, too." He muttered under his breath. "YOU THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO TAKE ON 2,326 NOCTURNUS SOLDIERS!" She had a snarl on her face, much like the one he'd seen when he first met her. She calmed down a little. "I had to go in there and save you. What were you thinking?" He shrugged. "I wasn't at time, really. I'm sorry." He said genuinely. She sighed. "You're too hard to get mad at." Laoch smiled. "What up with the armor?" "You suffered so much damage to your body, you needed something to preserve you. You'll have to wear this for a while before it can come off." Laoch's eyes widened. "I got hit in the head and then-" "They had no idea you were unconscious. They repetitively beat the living crap outta you as you were out on the floor. You can't underestimate us, Laoch. You were nearly killed."

Sonic had a confused look on his face. "What… just happened?" Knuckles was smiling. "Payback." He muttered to himself. "We should get going before Shade explodes into a million pieces." "This isn't funny!" She said, but Laoch had already ran off at supersonic speed. "Get back here!" Shouted Shade as she followed him off the horizon. "Ah, Love." Said a familiar voice. Rouge the bat was hovering off the ground, the Master Emerald in her grasp. "Here is that emerald you wanted, Knuxie." Knuckles was fuming. "That wasn't me who called you!" He shouted. "Stop lying, Knuckles." Said a straight- faced Sonic. "What? You were there! It was-" "Nope." Said Tails, shaking his head. "Stop making this stuff up, we were with you." Knuckles looked like he could explode. "WHAT? NO, DON'T-" "Rouge, don't listen to such lies this Echidna tells people." Said Shadow. "Well, then." Said Rouge, tossing Knuckles the emerald. "We can see each other another time." She flew off.

Laoch was running down the road when he saw Shade, panting and holding her chest. She collapsed on the concrete. "Oh my god, are you-" She smiled and jumped in the air, trying to land an uppercut which Laoch dodged. "You want a fight, huh? I've taken on thousands like you!" She jumped at him. Laoch hit a button on his belt and teleported behind her. "I know I can use Chaos Control, but this Nocturnus stuff is awesome!" He said thowing a punch to her back, which she dodged. "You're welcome." She said, before cloaking herself. "Oh,Cra-" Shade had nailed him with a kick in the back, sending him flying. "Give up?" She asked with a Laochish Smirk on her face." "Nope." He answered in retaliation. He teleported behind her and punched her in the back.

When the group arrived, Laoch was on his knees smiling while Shade was on the ground panting. "What did I miss?" Asked a smiling Sonic. "Battle…" Shade managed to get out. "Tough… Echidna." Said Laoch. "Should… really… get… going." Puffed Shade. "Sonic nodded. "Let's go!" He sped off at the speed of sound. "I… hate…that…hedgehog." He said with a smile.


	21. Extremely Inconvenient Showdown

**I don't own Sonic or Sega.**

21. Extremely Inconvenient Showdown

"Holy crap." Said Knuckles. Shade had passed out and they had found a long cut running down her leg, while Laoch's leg was completely useless. "You can remove the leg part for now." Said an awakened Shade. "First off, what the freak happened?" Asked Sonic. Laoch, a smile on his face, grunted when he spoke. "What was a friendly scuffle turned into a battle for supremacy, that's what happened." "Well now you're both injured and we're approaching the Echidna!" Shouted Shadow. Sonic screamed in horror. When they had removed the leg attachment of Laoch's armor, they discovered badly burnt leg that had scars and cuts running down the side. "We shouldn't have done that. We put the whole group in jeopardy, not to mention Laoch's healing. If you think that's bad, you should see his left arm…" Said Shade. "Aw, look what happened!" Said a chilling voice.

The Echidna was looking down from the sky. "It appears as if it's just you and Shadow." Said the Echidna. "Evil as he may be, for some reason the Echidna won't fight a disabled or seriously harmed person, only if he did it himself." Laoch grunted. "This will be for the day only. Use these crutches." Said Tails. Laoch had a cast on his leg and the boot of the armor back on his foot. Shade was resting in her tent. "Idiots…" Muttered Shadow, and they charged the Echidna.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, thought Sonic. The Echidna was eventually going to get to the point where they'll need to power to their super forms just to match him, and then… he didn't want to think about it. "Chaos Control!" Sonic and everybody else but the Echidna and Shadow froze. Shadow went wide-eyed. "What?" The Echidna gave an evil grin. "That's right, Shadow. I've gotten so powerful that not even time and chaos itself can't contain me." Shadow was speechless. Time continued and Shadow got nailed in the face. He then turned to Sonic and the same thing ensured. He then felt a sharp pain in his side, and life seemingly drained out of him. He turned to see a smile on Shade and Laoch's face. They had thrown their leech blades into his side and absorbed it's power, completely healing them in the process. Laoch snapped the leg piece back on and threw the cast to the ground. He turned to Shade. "You ready?" She nodded and they charged.

The Echidna was weakened by the blades and drained of a bit of power, and couldn't keep up with the onslaught. "Chaos Control!" Time froze, even the Echidna. Shadow smiled. If he's weakened enough. He hit a combination and the Echidna went flying. "Chaos Control!" He left in a flash of light. Laoch was walking back to his tent when he once again got hit with a dart and was captured by the Nocturnus clan.


	22. The Roles Reversed

**I don't own Sonic, Sega or BioWare.**

22. The Roles Reversed

"Laoch?" Said Sonic, looking around. "Where could he- Oh god!" Said Shade. She had Laoch's phone and started searching through his contacts.

Ryko was on his couch napping when his phone rang again. "I FINISHED THE FREAKING CONTRACT!" Ryko Shouted into the phone. "What?" Asked Shade. Ryko clamed. "Shade? What's up?" "Laoch got captured by my clan." "WHAT!" Shouted Ryko. "This is the second time. They nearly killed him the first time and I thought that someone like you could-" Ryko had dropped the phone and was already packing his weaponry.

Ryko arrived very soon. "My employer gave me a few new weapons." He said, pulling out a SIG Sauer. It had laser sights and his name inscribed in the side. He pulled out a sniper that was unlike anything the whole group, even Shadow, had seen before. Ryko seemingly read their minds. "I made this myself. G- I mean my employer sent me on a mission involving a smuggler. I managed to take some stuff and create this baby." He smiled. "Catch." Said Shade. Ryko caught it and examined the object. "That is top Nocturnus technology. A gift… for a friend." Ryko smiled again. "Thanks." He put it away. "Where do you keep all that crap?" Asked Knuckles. He Shrugged. "Hammerspace." "What's that?" Asked Tails. "It's a magical space to store things commonly used in video games. That's what Wikipedia says, anyway." "Would you guys stop breaking the forth wall so we can save Laoch? The story needs some progression." Said Shade. "But didn't you just-" Started Tails, but Shade cut him off. "Here's the plan."

"He's likely being held at Nocturne, which you would know about if you played _Sonic Chronicles_." "You keep-" Began Tails, but Shade waved him off. "They have a prison there which all prisoners of the Nocturnus are kept. Persuasion may have worked last time put I don't think it's gonna work this time. The current leader doesn't like Laoch at all, understandable, and is probably staying in the center, the heart of the prison." "Funny." Said Sonic. They all looked at him. "This will be the 2nd time we've broken into prison." "Yea that's real nice, now where was I… oh yes, he'll be at the heart. They know I'm a traitor, so that means they'll recognize my symbol. We can't do that mission impossible crap-" "Would you-" Tails began, but Shade once again shrugged him off. "They aren't robots. They are smart, they are cunning, and they are deadly. Laoch has to wear our armor for a while to preserve his body." She pointed out to Ryko. Ryko nodded. "You Echidnas just love kidnapping, don't you?"

"-Control!" Finished Shadow. They had arrived at Nocturne Prison. "Where were you born, Ryko?" Asked a curious Shade. "I was born in what used to be downtown Westopolis. So was Laoch." Tails went wide-eyed. "In a human city?" Asked Tails. "His father and mine were on a mission together. I chose my birth right, to work for my employer, but Laoch chose otherwise. Shame. He woulda been pretty good. He actually did a mission with me once, involving a guy named Ares-" "_Ares the Mesmer_?" Asked a stunned Tails. "The one and the same." "But isn't he dead?" Asked Sonic. Ryko Smiled. "Yes, he is. That's gotta be the prison."


	23. Ultimate Battle Intro

**I don't own Sonic or Sega.**

23. Ultimate Battle Intro

Shade immediately took out the first Nocturnus guard. Two jumped out from behind a wall, one receiving a vicious spinning kick from Shade, another getting her leech blades. "You go girl! "Said a smiling Ryko. "Shut up!" She shouted. "You think I like this?" They went further into the prison, taking out more Nocturnus.

They eventually reached the final corridor. "Just sayin, this rescue is ten times better than yours." They pushed open the building. Laoch had just untied his chair. His Nocturnus armor was now sleeveless and his black gloves had turned white, much like Sonic's. "Just in time. Our masked menace just left." He smiled. "He won't be back for a while. We should get going." "Gotcha. Say… you look pretty good with that sleeveless armor." "And I'm about to look terrible if we don't get the freak outta here. Thank you, by the way." They sped off.

"Thanks guys." Said Laoch. "I think I'm gonna roll this out for a while." "You'd better." Said a smiling Shade. "So, is it official?" Said Ryko. Shade and Laoch looked at each other. "Sure, it's-" "WOO HOO!" Screamed Sonic and Tails. The group faced them. "That's it, Shadow and Knuckles! Pay up!" Shadow and Knuckles grunted and took out some rings, then paid up. "Alright, Ryko…" "Oh no!" Said Ryko. "This Echidna guy is getting on my nerves! I'm staying with you. Plus…" Said Ryko, smiling. "I got reassigned." They embraced and Laoch called for a meeting.

"This is it, guys. The Echidna has got to perish. Anymore and he'll be done. He's getting to the point where he's so strong, we need super forms. Plus, little secret, he can't use all the 7 Chaos Emeralds." The group nearly spit out their food. "WHAT?" Shouted Sonic. "Yep. He can't even get close. We however can, and we can get the advantage. Tails, where is he right now?" "Strange. It says he's right here." "-Control!" The Echidna appeared next to their encampment. "Shall we?"

"Ready?" Asked Laoch. They nodded. Laoch was about to forcibly absorb all the negative thoughts and energy from the Chaos Emeralds, but he remembered everything happy that had happened In his life recently. Meeting the group, Ryko coming back not once but twice, and aiding him in the battle. Shade. Shade. He thought of all these things. Suddenly, Positive thoughts and energy raced to his head.

The group was ready for the horrible monster that would take over Laoch, that would demonize him and create anger all around them. Instead, Laoch's armor had burst off and flew in all directions. He glowed bright blue, his quills pointing upward. His gloves and shoes glowed also. He threw a few punches and flew around a little bit. "I… I know what I'm doing. I have control over myself!" He touched the ground, and it pulsed outward like a pebble in the water. Suddenly, Knuckles turned pink, Shadow turned white, and Sonic turned bright yellow.


	24. The Final Chapter

**I don't own Sonic or Sega.**

24. The Final Chapter

"Alright, Echidna! We end you here. Prepare to experience the other side of sanity!" Shouted Laoch. "On contraire, Hedgehog! You will be the one to perish!" They all charged the Echidna. The Echidna threw a flurry of punches, all of which 'True' Laoch dodged. Knuckles slammed his fist into the ground, causing a crack in the crust and shaking the ground a little bit, throwing the Echidna off balance. Sonic and Shadow nodded and smiled. "Lightspeed attack!" They shouted, and powered up. They then circled around the Echidna, too fast for the eye to see. The Echidna tried to follow, but couldn't; he had two hedgehogs in his face. Ryko started shooting at the Echidna, providing a distraction so Laoch could hit him with his sword, now glowing a pure golden. The Echidna was overwhelmed and damaged a little bit. "Chaos-" he began to say, but Laoch and Shadow got to it first. Time froze, as did the Echidna. They hit a few combo moves and sent the Echidna flying. They rushed toward him, dealing out kicks and blows, finally throwing him into Knuckles who nailed him with a hard punch. The Echidna went flying again before getting on the receiving end of Laoch's sword. The Echidna fought back, hitting his own combo and sending them flying instead of him. Laoch then shot an energy beam out of his hand to the amazement of the group. The Echidna dodged it and retaliated with a laser of his own, which hit Laoch. Laoch flew off in the distance. The Echidna then again felt a sharp pain in his side and the energy sucked out of him. Shade had thrown her leech blades and hit the Echidna in the Side. Laoch flew back in and threw some punches; Sonic got in a few of his own before using some sort of chaos move to hit the Echidna with it. He staggered back, causing Shadow to hit him with 3 chaos lance's, which hit the Echidna again. Laoch and Shadow gathered all they could. They turned bright red, their eyes glowing. "CHAOS… BLAST!" The energy was so great, the Echidna knew it was his final sight. He just stared as the wave flew over him and disintegrated him on the spot, to witnesses with gaping mouths.

"We did it. It's over." Said Laoch. A smile burst through his face. "WE DID IT! IT"S OVER!" He shouted at the sky. Shade ran up to him, and, before he could do anything, kissed him. Knuckles and Shadow once again gave rings to Sonic and Tails.

"Guys, I couldn't do it without you." They were sitting around a campfire. "Ryko, you didn't do crap." "Thanks, little bro. Anyway, I gotta go. Bucc just wrote a new story for me and I probably should go there." "We'll follow you." They all said, and with that they were off.

The End.


End file.
